Dodge Viper
When looking for mainstream transportation, you may pass right by the Dodge Viper GTS Coupe, thank you very much.
This is a vehicle designed for a very narrow audience. Even among Dodge Viper GTS Coupe aficionados it is possible to specialize to a point that the performance-for-comfort trade-off becomes so acute, only a handful of fanatics are willing to step up to the plate. Enter the Dodge Viper GTS Coupe ACR. ACR stands for American Club Racing and that should tell you about all you need to know regarding this monster’s mission.
A Dodge Viper GTS Coupe show car first appeared on the automobile show circuit in 1989. Response was so dramatic, a platform team was culled from “car guys” around Chrysler Corp. The idea was to create a sports car capable of accelerating from 0-100-0 in less than 15 seconds. Three years of intensive development resulted in the production of the Viper Roadster in 1992. Four years later, a hardtop joined the convertible. While enjoying a family resemblance, the Coupe and Roadster share only about 10 percent of their parts. Some production glitches and the complications resulting from building a vehicle largely of aluminum have slowed the pace of production. This combined with the intention to restrict production anyway has limited the number of Vipers delivered to showrooms. This is a bonus to owners who don’t want to see themselves coming and going. Fewer than 10,000 Vipers have been sold to date, making them a rare commodity indeed.
Vipers have been performing well on GT racing circuits since 1994, and that success gave birth to the commemorative limited edition GT2. Based on the Viper GTS-R race car, the 100 GT2 units were sold out immediately. Unlike the GT2, however, the Viper ACR is a coupe bred for racing. There is nothing outwardly spectacular in the ACR’s styling, beyond that of a Viper GTS Coupe: no flashy decals or racing stripes.
Inside, though, some immediate differences jump out at you. Supplementing the usual three-point seat belt is the addition of a five-point system for both seats. If you want to jam to the radio, you had better bring your Walkman. To achieve an overall weight reduction of 60 pounds, both the radio and the air conditioner have been eliminated (they can be ordered as options). I chose to sacrifice the “showing-off” factor of daytime cruising for the cooler temperatures of the night. In an effort to keep the ACR street legal, both air bag systems remain, as do the power locks and windows. Powering the dual outboard mirrors is also part of the ACR’s 1999 package.
Climbing in and out of the ACR, or any Dodge Viper GTS Coupe for that matter, is a chore. It sits down low and that is further complicated by the lower door jamb heating up from the side exhaust. Exiting is particularly tricky as you must swing your legs out and away from the car before leveraging yourself out. Most Dodge Viper GTS Coupe owners certainly don’t mind this inconvenience; it’s part of the mystique. Inside the seats are ultrasupportive and comfortable. There isn’t much in the way of clutter along the dashboard. Instrumentation is large and easy to read. There is even some storage space beneath the rear hatch.
Already a barnstormer by any definition, the ACR’s version of Dodge Viper GTS Coupe’s 8-liter V-10 has 10 more horsepower, as well as 10 addition pounds-feet of peak torque over the regular GTS Coupe. This brings the horsepower to 460 and torque to 500 pounds-feet. The exhaust note alone will scare children and domesticated animals. Funneling this output to the rear wheels is a beefy six-speed manual transmission. This is not a vehicle designed for traffic jams on Interstate 95. Fifteen minutes of depressing and releasing the clutch in stop-and-go traffic is as good as a half hour in the gym. Once you can see daylight, though, the Dodge Viper GTS Coupe rips itself from the traffic surrounding it. Zero to 60 is in the four-second range. It is not for the faint of heart. That goes for fuel economy as well. The ACR’s miles-per-gallon rating is 12 city, 21 highway.
The ride is firm to the point of being harsh, but it handles like a champ thanks to a suspension even more intimidating than that of the GS2. Cornering is crisp with nary a hint of body roll. Its tires appear to fit an 18-wheeler and they stick to the road like glue. If going fast is high on your list, Dodge Viper GTS Coupe should be too, especially Dodge Viper ACR .
Chrysler is building ACRs by order. Standard features on the $70,000 car include dual air bags, BBS wheels, keyless remote entry, anti-theft alarm system, power-assisted rack and pinion steering and power assisted four-wheel disc brakes.
